Curve Make Quick Work of Seawolves

CURVE, Pa. - Behind seven sterling innings from starter Tim Alderson and a two-run Quincy Latimore homer, the Curve ran their season-best winning streak to six games with a dominant all-around performance in a 5-0 win over the Erie SeaWolves before 4,378 fans Sunday evening at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

Alderson, now a full-fledged member of the Altoona rotation for the first time since 2010, was lights out from  pitch number one on Sunday. The former first-round pick of the San Francisco Giants faced the minimum in six of his seven innings on the day, only allowing multiple runners on base simultaneously once. Alderson (3-1) finished strong, retiring ten in a row before a leadoff single by Rob Brantly in the seventh. Brantly was erased on the next pitch when Alderson induced a 4-6-3 double-play ball off the bat of Jordan Lennerton.

With their starter excelling, Altoona's offense did more than enough for the club's second shutout win of 2012. The Curve put two runs on the board in the bottom of the second, one on a Matt Curry RBI double scoring Tony Sanchez and the next on a Miles Durham RBI groundout. Altoona seized their next two on Latimore's second big fly of the year, a blast out to left field in the bottom of the fifth.

Erie starter Ramon Garcia (2-3) didn't pitch poorly, allowing three earned runs of four total through seven innings, but took the defeat. Alderson needed just 60 pitches to sail through seven innings, 44 of them for strikes.

Brock Holt tacked on an RBI single for insurance in the eighth to give the Curve an insurance run.  The win was Altoona's first of the shutout variety since April 13^th at Richmond, a 6-0 triumph. Their six-game winning streak is the team's first since June 18-24, 2010.

The Curve welcome in the Harrisburg Senators Monday for a series-opener of four at Peoples Natural Gas Field. Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Jeff Karstens is scheduled to make the start for the Curve in a rehab role on Monday, slated to toss 45 pitches or three innings. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. on a Mirror Monday in Curve, Pa. Grandstand tickets will be available for $2 to fans who clip the special coupon from the front page of Monday's Altoona Mirror sports section. Airtime on ESPN 1430 in Altoona and all along the Curve Radio Network is slated for 6:00. For tickets to future Curve home games or more information, call 877.99.CURVE, visit AltoonaCurve.com or stop by the box office at Peoples Natural Gas Field.

--Curve Media Relations--